Memphis - Regional - Whitney Kessling
Whitney Kessling’s setup for Memphis at the Playhouse on the Square in Memphis, Tennessee.
Read/See more...“It was a pretty straight forward drum set show, and fortunately it used a triangle for one song, so I got to use my Miller Machine!”
New York Spectacular at Radio City - Joshua Mark Samuels
Joshua's Mark Samuels' drum set setup for the New York Spectacular at Radio City.
Read/See more..."This show was incredible not just because the orchestra and music was fantastic, but also because during one number in the middle of the show, the percussionist and I got off the band car, changed into costumes and headed up to the stage where we ran down the aisle and performed bucket solos."
How the Grinch Stole Christmas - Regional - Russ Nyberg
Russ Nyberg's combined book setup for Dr Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee.
Read/See more..."There are so many moments where a suspended cymbal roll or timpani hit is snuck into the middle of a groove."
Dreamgirls - Regional - Alec Wilmart
Alec Wilmart’s percussion setup for Dreamgirls at the Village Theater in Seattle, Washington.
Read/See more...“I listened to a lot of Jackie Wilson, James Brown, Temptations, Supremes, and Earth Wind and Fire to help prepare the different bongo and conga grooves.”
Cinderella - Regional - David Glover
David Glover's setup for Cinderella at the North Allegheny Senior High School just North of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
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In the Heights - Regional - Patrick Lehosky
Patrick Lehosky's setup for In the Heights at the CM Performing Arts Center in Oakdale, New York.
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The Cradle Will Rock - New York City Center Encores! - Billy Miller
Billy Miller's setup from the New York City Center Encores! production of The Cradle Will Rock.
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Guys and Dolls - Regional - Kory Andry
Kory Andry's setup for Guys and Dolls at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Read/See more..."Using Regal Tip Conga Sticks allows for movement from conga/bongos/djembe to timbales and crash cymbal."
The Life - Regional - Matthew Dudek
Matthew Dudek's percussion setup for Cy Coleman’s The Life at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan.
Read/See more..."Like most percussion books, the difficulty was primarily in the choreography of instrument to instrument."
How the Grinch Stole Christmas - Madison Square Garden - Dave Roth
Dave Roth's percussion setup for the Madison Square Garden production of Dr Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! in New York City.
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How the Grinch Stole Christmas - Madison Square Garden - Greg Landes
Greg Landes' drum set setup for the Madison Square Garden production of Dr Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
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Pageant - Regional - Scot Sexton
Scot Sexton’s setup for Pageant: The Musical Comedy Beauty Competition at ACT Theatre in Seattle, Washington.
Read/See more...“This was for the premiere show of A Sensible Theatre Company in Seattle, Washington. It is a wonderful drum book, covering lots of different styles of music."
Ain't Misbehavin' - Regional - Scot Sexton
Scot Sexton’s setup for the Seattle Musical Theater's production of Ain’t Misbehavin’ in Seattle, Washington.
Read/See more..."The drums I chose on this production are refurbished vintage Ludwig’s that I put Slingerland Beavertails on."
Pippin - Regional - Will Marinelli
Will Marinelli's percussion setup for the Hightstown High School's production of Pippin in Hightstown, New Jersey.
Read/See more..."Just prior to downbeat on our final show, the soundboard died."
Sweeney Todd - Regional - Sam Wisman
Sam Wisman’s combined book setup for Sweeney Todd at Kansas City Repertory Theatre.
Read/See more..."I mount as much as possible from STRONG cymbal stands and stack cymbals to save space and allow easy one handed rolls."
The Hunchback of Notre Dame - Regional - Paul Hansen
Paul Hansen's setup for the The Hunchback of Notre Dame at the 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle, Washington.
Read/See more..."The Tam Tam has the mounted 'throw ‘n’ go' mallet mount."
Beauty and the Beast - Regional - Luke Hubley
Luke Hubley’s percussion setup for Beauty and the Beast at Theater Under The Stars in Houston Texas.
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Working - Regional - Dennis J. Arcano
Dennis J. Arcano’s setup for a brand new, multimedia production of Stephen Schwartz's Working at ACT in Ridgefield, Connecticut.
Read/See more..."The drum set is a 1989 Pearl Export that I stripped off the original black drum wraps."
A Chorus Line - Regional - Paul Hansen
Paul Hansen's percussion setup for A Chorus Line at The 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle, Washington.
Read/See more..."The one thing I also point out to students tackling this show for the first time is…"
A Chorus Line - Regional - Alec Wilmart
Alec Wilmart's drum set setup for A Chorus Line at The 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle, Washington.
Read/See more..."The Yamaha Oak Custom was a great kit for this show, tuned pretty much wide open with gel mutes to emulate that '70s ‘Dead Drum’ sound"
Matilda - Regional - Alec Wilmart
Alec Wilmart's setup for Matilda at the Village Theatre in Issaquah, Washington.
Read/See more..."One of the coolest things about this book is the role of the Bass Drum. I can’t stress enough how important having a concert bass drum is for this show. The lower, the better."
The "Whoopie Case" - Paul Hansen
Paul Hansen's "Whoopie Case".Read/See more..."One should always carry an emergency kit to every gig. You never know when you'll need a last minute shaker, duck call, slide whistle, kazoo, jaw harp…."
Funny Girl - Regional - Alec Wilmart
Alec Wilmart's combined book setup for Funny Girl at the Village Theatre in Issaquah, Washington.
Read/See more..."Combining the two parts on this show presented some interesting challenges"
Les Miserables - Regional - Don Sanderson
Don Sanderson's setup for The Orlando Shakespeare Theater production of Les Miserables in Orlando Florida.
Read/See more..."The book also calls for a scrape across a wind gong and because I don't own one I used my 20” Zildjian K Flat Ride. I tipped it sideways like a hanging gong and it works fine."
Tarzan - Regional - Angel Williams
Angel Williams’ combined book setup for Tarzan at the Kensington Theatre Company in South Jordan, Utah.
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Newsies - Regional - Scott Elford
Scott Elford's percussion setup for Newsies at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center in Appleton, Wisconsin.
Read/See more..."My homemade glock/timp combos started out as Promark PST3's (Performer Series Maple Timpani Mallets) that I drilled out and inserted what was left of a broken pair of Promark DFP250's…"
Seussical - Regional - Benjamin Barham-Wiese
Benjamin Barham-Wiese’s setup for Seussical at a Community Theater in New York City.
Read/See more..."I am a 15 year old high school student in New York City so it has been a lot of work going to school during the day and playing at night."
Beauty and the Beast - Regional - Brett Beiersdorfer
Brett Beiersdorffer setup for Second Stage Production’s Beauty and the Beast at the Maria Regina School in Seaford, New York.
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The Little Mermaid - Regional - Rex Lycan
Rex Lycan’s percussion setup for The Little Mermaid at the Howard Brubeck Theatre in San Marcos, California.
Read/See more..."There was quite a bit of Latin bongo playing in this show, as well as plenty of orchestral numbers."
Crazy For you - Regional - Bill Klymus
Bill Klymus' percussion setup for Crazy For You at the Granville Performing Arts Center in Garland, Texas.
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Thoroughly Modern Millie - Regional - Bill Klymus
Bill Klymus' percussion setup for Thoroughly Modern Millie at the Granville Performing Arts Center in Garland, Texas.
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Pajama Game - Regional - Paul Hansen
Paul Hansen’s percussion setup for Pajama Game at the 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle, Washington.
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Austen's Pride - Regional - Dennis J. Arcano
Dennis J Arcano's setup for Austen's Pride, a new musical of Pride and Prejudice at ACT in Ridgefield, Connecticut.
Read/See more..."This setup also included six foot pedals: two on the timpani, a kick drum pedal, a hi-hat pedal..."
Tuck Everlasting - Regional - Jacob Bradshaw
Jacob Bradshaw’s combined book setup for Tuck Everlasting at Hale Center Theater in Sandy, Utah.
Read/See more..."I combined the percussion and drum set book, which was quite the undertaking."
Cats - Regional - Brandon Miller
Brandon Miller's combined book for Cats at the Dutch Apple Dinner Theater in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
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Parade - Regional - Sho Fujieda
Sho Fujieda's setup for Parade at Fullerton College in Fullerton, California.
Read/See more..."Here's a fun technique I used that was shown to me by another pit percussionist. Instead of having a full set of crotales for the single crotale note, I hit the glockenspiel with a finger cymbal on the high E flat."
Pippin - Regional - Brian Kilgore
Brian Kilgore's setup for Pippin at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre in Hollywood, California.
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Godspell - Regional - Greg Hersey
Greg Hersey's setup for Godspell at the Players by the Sea Theatre in Jacksonville Beach, Florida.
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Into The Woods - Regional - Rex Lycan
Rex Lycan’s setup for Into The Woods at the Old Town Temecula Theater in Temecula, California.
Read/See more..."At the end of the second act and at the end of 'Maybe They're Magic' there are tons of quick switches between snare drum and bells/xylophone. In order to achieve these difficult changes…"
How the Grinch Stole Christmas - Cast Album - Greg Landes
Greg Landes’ drum set setup for the cast album of Dr Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! at the Manhattan Center Grand Ballroom in New York City.
Read/See more..."The show originally opened in 2006 but we finally got to create a fantastic cast album this past August 2013."
How the Grinch Stole Christmas - Cast Album - Dave Roth
Dave Roth's percussion setup for the cast album of Dr Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! at the Manhattan Center Grand Ballroom in New York City.
Read/See more..."It was a very unique experience in that the entire 14 piece band was in the same room with no baffling."
How the Grinch Stole Christmas - Regional - Greg Landes
Greg Landes' combined book setup for Dr Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! at the Wang Theatre in Boston, Massachusetts.
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Dreamgirls - Regional - Jim Reif
Jim Reif’s drum set setup for Dreamgirls at the Village Theater in Seattle, Washington.
Read/See more...“The fun never stops and the train keeps on moving.”
Urinetown - Regional - Eli Maniscalco
Eli Maniscalco’s setup for Urinetown at the YMCA Boulton Center for the Performing Arts in Bay Shore, New York.
Read/See more..."As a working musician who gigs around town, I favor lightweight hardware that packs up small..."
Most Happy Fella - Regional - Erik Charlston
Erik Charlston's setup from the Encores! production of Most Happy Fella at City Center in New York City.
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How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying - Regional - Alec Wilmart
Alec Wilmart's drum set setup for How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying at the 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle, Washington.
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How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying - Regional - Paul Hansen
Paul Hansen's percussion setup for How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying at the 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle, Washington.
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Mary Poppins - Regional - Alec Wilmart
Alec Wilmart's percussion setup for the 2014-2015 Winter production of Mary Poppins at the Village Theatre in Everett, Washington.
Read/See more..."Step In Time' is a real challenge, with some quick switches between Xylophone and Timpani, and if I had to do it all over again, I would have put the Bass Drum on the other side of the Timpani to facilitate that."
Mary Poppins - Regional - Chris Monroe
Chris Monroe's drum set setup for the 2014-2015 Winter production of Mary Poppins at the Village Theatre in Everett, Washington.
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The Little Mermaid - Regional - Ethan Deppe
Ethan Deppe’s setup for The Little Mermaid at the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre in Chicago, Illinois.
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Les Miserables - Regional - Guy Gauthreaux
Guy Gauthreaux's setup for Les Miserables at the Theatre Baton Rouge in Baton Rogue, Louisiana.
Read/See more..."The 70‘s Mercedes Benz hubcap is used for the ‘copper pot’ and ‘garbage can lid’ as it produces many various sounds and definitely ‘elevates’ the look and feel of the setup"
Radio City Christmas Spectacular - Mario DeCiutiis, Dave Roth, Matt Beaumont
Mario DeCiutiis, Dave Roth, and Matt Beaumont’s percussion setup for the 2014 Radio City Christmas Spectacular in New York City.
Read/See more..."Most of the percussion is played on the PanKATs. The white lettering is used to remind the players which pad triggers which sample."
Radio City Christmas Spectacular - Kyle Maxwell-Doherty, Joshua Mark Samuels
Kyle Maxwell-Doherty and Joshua Mark Samuels' percussion setup for the 2015 Radio City Christmas Spectacular in New York City.
Read/See more..."Having the ability to perform the majority of the book on electronic percussion instruments (save the timpani) allows the rest of the band to spread out physically and save their ears in the pit. However, the main reason for the extensive use of electronic percussion is the control and flexibility it affords the section."
In The Heights - Regional - Brett Beiersdorfer
Brett Beiersdorfer's setup for In the Heights at the CM Performing Arts Center in Oakdale, New York.
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Tarzan - Regional - Rob Guilford
Rob Guilford's percussion setup for Tarzan at the White Plains Performing Arts Center in White Plains, New York.
Read/See more..."Space was very tight in the theater, so having the malletKAT for all of the mallet and timpani parts was a lifesaver."
Tarzan - Regional - Rob Fedson
Rob Fedson's setup for Tarzan at the Palace Theatre in Georgetown, Texas (Austin area).
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Smokey Joe's Cafe - Regional - Debbie Minnichelli
Debbie Minnichelli's percussion setup for Smokey Joe's Cafe at the Stage Door Repertory Theatre in Anaheim, California.
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Seussical - Regional - Brandon Levesque
Brandon Levesque’s percussion setup for Rhode Island College’s production of Seussical.
Read/See more..."For the crotale sound, I cut a timbale mallet down and screwed a finger cymbal to the top, using that as a mallet on the bells."
Seussical - Regional - Scot Sexton
Scot Sexton’s combined book setup for Seussical with Broadway Bound in Seattle, Washington.
Read/See more...“…I knew I would be juggling sticks, page turns, shakers, and beaters so as I was combining the books I was also working on my layout and choreography.”
Ragtime - Regional - Paul Hansen
Paul Hansen’s setup for Ragtime at the 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle, Washington.
Read/See more...“Seen here are many of my usual stock effects…”
Kid Victory - Regional - Greg Landes
Greg Landes’ setup for John Kander’s Kid Victory at the Vineyard Theatre in New York City.
Read/See more...“Michael Starobin did his usual brilliant work with the orchestrations and the drum/percussion book and I always felt challenged musically and engaged throughout the show.”
Between The Lines - Regional - Sam Wisman
Sam Wisman’s setup for the world premiere and regional tryout of Between The Lines at the Kansas City Repertory Theatre in Kansas City, Missouri.
Read/See more...“The styles and sounds required range from classic Broadway to swing, vaudeville, orchestral, rock, and disco.”
In The Heights - Regional - Angel Williams
Angel Williams’ percussion setup for In The Heights at the Judge Memorial High School in Salt Lake City, Utah.
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Kiss Me Kate - Regional - Scot Sexton
Scot Sexton’s combined book setup for the Seattle Musical Theaters production of Kiss Me Kate in Seattle, Washington.
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Seussical - Regional - Chris Roberts
Chris Roberts’ combined book for the Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School production of Seussical in South Hamilton, Massachusetts.
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Pippin - Regional - Michael Dooley
Michael Dooley’s percussion setup for Pippin at Heritage High School in Frisco, Texas. This is the 2006 MTI version.
Read/See more...“I had to pick and choose which instruments I could cover per number, using the criteria 1) ‘Can I do this and still sound good’ and 2) ‘What is the most important sound to have here’”.
Urinetown - Regional - Chris Roberts
Chris Roberts’ setup for Urinetown at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire.
Read/See more...“…This was when I was told the pit was literally a pit (no stairs, or elevators) and the only access were two ladders (one on either side)”
Fiddler On The Roof - Regional - Chris Roberts
Chris Roberts’ setup for Fiddler On The Roof at the Plymouth State University in Plymouth, New Hampshire.
Read/See more...“I played around with my cymbal choices a bit but went with a 16" and 18" crash. There isn't very much ‘riding’ and I wanted the option to be able to have two crash sounds.”
Little Shop of Horrors - Regional - Skyler Fortgang
Skyler Fortgang’s percussion setup for Little Shop of Horrors at The Livingston Theater Company at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
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Bring it On - Regional - Angel Williams
Angel Williams’ percussion setup for Bring It On at the University of Utah, Musical Theater Department in Salt Lake City, Utah. Read/See more...
Mary Poppins - Regional - Joe Beam
Joe Beam's drum-set setup for Mary Poppins at Theatre Under the Stars in Houston, Texas.Read/See more...
David Thalmann - Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
David Thalmann’s setup from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Murray Arts Guild - Murray Park Amphitheater in Murray, Utah.Read/See more...
Beauty and the Beast - Regional - Angel Williams
Angel Williams’ percussion setup for the Herriman Arts Councils production of Beauty and the Beast in Herriman, Utah. Read/See more...
Matt Windon - Young Frankenstein
"I was using my Pearl Masters MCX on the gig. 20" Bass Drum, 12" and 14" Toms and an Aspen Drum Company Snare. I have three Snares that are my 'go to' drums for shows: the 60's Supraphonic, an Odery 13"x6" that just has the perfect crack for a rock show and the Aspen. This one packs so much color, tone and projection into one drum. It was fantastic to capture the Big Band style and grab the Folk style music at the kit.
The cymbals on this gig were my Paiste Dark Energy Series. I had my 14" Hats, 8" Splash, 16" and 15" Crashes and a 21" Ride. These are some of my favorite cymbals on the market. They blend with a beautiful tone and sustain and the crashes respond quick, double as a suspended and can handle some heavy hits for their size. They sound great under a mic and amazingly live with a full orchestra. I've rarely used the 17" or 18".
I was using Vater 8A's, Brushes and Swizzle Sticks, Aquarian Modern Vintage Heads on the Toms, Aquarian TC1 on the Snare and an Aquarian Deep Vintage II on the Bass Drum.
In between my Hi-Hats and Tom were my LP Stealth Jam Block, a higher pitched LP Anniversary Block and an LP Cowbell. It's a blessing and a curse to have them in all black. I also mounted a Pearl Tambourine on the boom stand that housed the gems of my setup, the Miller Machines.
I borrowed your suggestion on the Favorite Mounts from your Setup Shots website and used the Pearl ADP30 mount to get the triangle and finger cymbal machines on one mount. This was a great combo and eliminated some stick changes, while producing excellent tones!
The snare drum above is one of my favorites. I have a bit of a snare drum... Hobby. That's a safe word to keep me out of an asylum and prevent my wife from trying to convince me to sell some and not replace each one with two new ones.
It was a PASIC purchase from my college years. I was drawn towards the drum by one that Andy Reamer used with the Pittsburgh Symphony. Around the time of purchase, the hot items were the Pearl Philharmonic drums and Black Swamp Drums with one strainer and trio units. I loved the idea of being able to use three different strainers to change my sound at the drum. It was a secondary concert drum for me when I originally made the purchase. The construction is fairly simple. It's a ten ply, maple shell with die cast hoops and three Dunnett strainers. The snare combo is composed of the Patterson Blues, wire and Pure Sound Snappy. As my collection of drums expanded and my pit space became more limited, this drum found a few adjustments to the tuning and tension on the snares and worked its way into more pits. It still sounds beautiful with an orchestra, but it just fills that void for us drummers who want the sounds of multiple drums and are limited on space. I am always looking for new ways to achieve the most authentic sounds possible and this was one of my more successful attempts.
On two side notes, I think the ideal snare drum would be the former GMS Concert Model with a different snare combo, snappy and something darker. I believe Steve Gadd had a two strainer drum a while back as well. Those could be modified to be excellent for those of us who aren't in the studio and attempting to have that orchestral sound and the drum set sound out of one snare."
If you're interested in seeing more Setup Shots click here.
Jeff Snider - The Addams Family
Jeff's setup from the National Tour of The Addams Family.
Jeff is a proud endorser of Soultone Cymbals.
Peter and the Starcatcher - Regional - Brad Wetmore
Brad Wetmore's setup for South Bay Musical Theater's production of Peter and the Starcatcher.
Read/See more..."Between the Music Director/Piano player and myself, we covered just over 60 instruments."
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying - Regional - Will Marinelli
Will Marinelli's percussion setup for How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying at Ithaca College in Ithaca, New YorkRead/See more...
Crazy For You - Regional - Ryan McCausland
Ryan McCausland's drum set setup for Crazy for You at the Hammonton Youth Theatre in Hammonton, New JerseyRead/See more...
Vanities - Regional - Dale Baker
Dale Baker's setup for a production of Vanities at the Theatre Raleigh in Raleigh, North Carolina.
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The Pit Stop Players - Greg Landes
Greg Landes’ setup for the Pit Stop Players’ concert at Symphony Space in New York City. Read/See more...
